USA > Ohio > Preble County > History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions > Part 35
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Lexington. It was built by Amos Markey & Brother. Nos. 2 and 8 were built by B. C. Crouse & Company and are modern district school buildings, attesting the interest taken by this township in the dissemination of knowl- edge to those of school age.
MILLS.
The first flouring-mill was built in Twin township by Judge Nisbet in 1805, and here the first wheat was ground. He sold the mill to John Mumma, who razed it and built a new one on its site. The privilege of this mill was bought by Stotler, Gale & Glander, who built a new mill about 1860, on the Dayton and Eaton pike, just east of West Alexandria.
John Van Winkle built the first saw-mill in the township, just north of New Lexington. This mill passed through the hands of several, including Mumma, Meckley, Wick & Winkleman, and was in operation until the flood of March 26, 1913.
Henry Price built the first grist and saw-mill on Price's creek, about one and one-half miles north of the intersection of the Eaton and Lewisburg road. This mill was better known as the Clemmer mill.
In 1828 Isaac Enoch built a second grist-mill on Price's creek, and some years later erected the mill known as the Whipple mill. In 1830 he built a woolen-mill on the branch fed by the Mammoth springs at Brunners- ville, afterward owned and operated by Joseph B. Shaw.
Several distilleries were operated in the township in earlier times, but the worm is dead and not even a smell is left.
CHURCHES.
Notwithstanding difficulties, the early settlers did not neglect spiritual development; and, although many brought to this wilderness their denom- inational religious beliefs, a religious bigot was a rare sight. It was es- pecially noticeable that a spirit of tolerance and liberality obtained among them, and union meetings were held whenever the services of a passing preacher could be secured. For the most part. these meetings were held in the little school house on the Nisbet farm, but there came a time of the parting of the ways, when differences of opinion arose as to the propriety of permitting a Universalist minister to preach in the school house church, resulting in the establishment of the two most strongly-represented churches, the Baptist and the Presbyterian.
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BAPTIST CHURCH.
The Baptists, being the weaker in numbers, naturally enough formed an alliance with those of other creeds, or none, and, after mutual confer- ence, it was decided to build a church, which, though it should be called the regular Baptist church, should be conducted with the utmost liberality de- nominationally; and it was agreed that those who subscribed should control and have charge of the building. Prominent among the Baptists was Simeon Van Winkle, who donated the half acre on which the church stands in the corner of the R. W. Ozias farm, and Squire Benjamin was the leader of the outsiders. At the first election, Asa W. Malloy, of Eaton, Squire Benjamin and George Ivens were made the trustees. The latter was the only one of the three belonging to the church.
The organization was effected in 1829 by Reverends Day and Poyner and a plain but substantial brick church erected on the grounds donated by Mr. Van Winkle. Rev. William Williams, the pioneer Baptist preacher, Rev. James Eaton, a missionary from New York, Rev. Anderson Adams, a son-in-law of John Van Winkle, Rev. James Sandford and others passing this way, occasionally preached for their congregation, although, during a great part of the time it was without a regular pastor.
Some years later a Campbellite preacher from Cincinnati, named Bur- net, came to New Lexington, and in a short time had won over the Bap- tists, with the exception of George Ivens, and a petition addressed to the Baptist association asking for its dismissal, was granted, and, though it remained liberal, it was afterward called the Campbellite church. Preach- ing continued there from time to time, until the close of the Civil War, but finally became deserted, until late in the seventies, when Squire Benja- min, the only surviving trustee, offered it for sale to James M. Van Arnold. The neighbors, however, raised by subscription sufficient money to put the building in repair, and since July, 1879, the United Brethren held services in it for some time. The building was finally condemned and has fallen into decay, with small prospect of its reparation; but the graveyard adjoining it was, some years since, taken over by the township and the trustees have made of it one of the prettiest cemeteries in the county.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
At the time of the separation of the two denominations, the Presby- terians had an organization of about thirty members, and during the winter
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of 1828-29, under the pastorate of Samuel J. Miller, a revival was held and, as a result, forty were added to the church. The elders were Christian Van Doven, who, later, was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church, Eaton, Ohio, and B. Aten. During the following summer they erected a brick church north of Judge Nisbet's three-story house, and adjoining the graveyard, where lay the remains of Grandfather Nisbet and a number of his descendants. Reverend Miller served his congregation until 1836, when he resigned to accept a call from the Pleasant Ridge church. The mem- bership later becoming scattered, the church fell into decay and the building was torn down several years ago.
KELLY'S CHAPEL.
Located on section 14, Twin township, was a log building, built in 1835 for a Methodist church, and was named Kelly's Chapel, for Rev. George Kelly, who organized the church and later was pastor of the Wesley chapel, Methodist Episcopal church, Cincinnati, Ohio. The membership of the church, which had never been large, grew less by deaths and removals, and soon went down.
SHILOH.
The church at Shiloh was situated in the southeast quarter of section 12, Twin township. It was organized about the year 1840, by Rev. Thomas H. Wentworth, of the German Reformed church, who was the pastor for a period of ten years. Disintegration did for this church what it had done for others, and it went down.
About this time a division of the new and old school Lutherans was impending and, a little later, the new school branch of the Lewisburg Evan- gelical Lutheran church secured Shiloh church for their own place of wor- ship and installed Rev. Abraham Rex as their pastor, who served them for two or three years, and was followed by other pastors from the Evangelical church at Lewisburg. The church is still in a healthy condition, under the pastorate of Reverend Larick, of Lewisburg, Ohio.
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
At the time of the separation of the old and new school Lutherans, the old school branch organized, under Rev. Jacob Gruber, a church in the northeastern corner of this township on the farm now owned by Joseph James. It was a little farm building and has long since been removed.
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CEMETERIES.
In addition to the cemeteries adjoining the churches at New Lexington and Shiloh, there are graveyards near Brennersville, on the old Royer farm, and one on the John Hart farm.' In this latter graveyard a number of the early Tunkers are buried, among whom was Jacob Baer, one of the early settlers, and father of the late Elder Harry Baer.
QUARRIES.
Until recent years, the John O. Deem quarry, in section 17, was one of the most flourishing in the township. Farther north, on Price's creek, was the Whipple quarry, which did an extensive business in earlier days.
BRENNERSVILLE.
Brennersville was laid out about 1825 by John Brenner, but the plat was never recorded. It is on the south line of section 8, and never boasted of its commercial activities and is probably better known by the name of Scuffle- town.
NEW LEXINGTON.
New Lexington is the oldest town in Preble county. It was laid out by Judge James I. Nisbet, November 18, 1805, plat book 1, page 22, of the Preble county plat records, and for some three years was the rival of its sister town, Eaton, in importance.
About three months prior to the founding by William Bruce, of Eaton, James I. Nisbet laid out part of his farm, in section 27, into town lots, and named it New Lexington, in honor of Lexington, from whence he had mi- grated. He built the first house, a log cabin in the eastern part of the village, on the site of the three-story brick house that he built in 1811, near Twin creek. A number of other houses were built soon after Judge Nisbet's log cabin was built, and the enthusiastic and enterprising founder thought he saw in the little town a city in embryo; and when Preble county was organized, he worked hard to have New Lexington selected for the county seat, Eaton being the only contender, and, while Eaton had the advantage of being more centrally located, New Lexington had the precedence of birth, beside being located on the banks of the principal stream, the broadest and most fertile valley. The matter, finally, was decided by a commission, con-
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sisting of Messrs. Ichabod Corwin, Aaron Harlan and Ichabod B. Halsey, appointed by the Legislature, which returned its findings to the court of common pleas June 23, 1808. After viewing both places, they found that, as far as the town were concerned, it was "six of one and a half a dozen of the other;" but, in respect to position, Eaton had the advantage of a central location, wherefore, the permanent seat of justice was "fixed at the town of Eaton, provided that the money, lands, lots, stone and labor subscribed by the inhabitants of the town, shall be duly secured for the use of said county towards erecting public buildings." Since the decision against it, and the death of Judge Nisbet, New Lexington has lacked the spirit and enter- prise which are necessary to the growth of a town.
BUSINESS.
Judge Nisbet was New Lexington's first merchant and postmaster; the mail was carried on horseback between Dayton and Richmond, via New Lexington, over a direct route. The Columbian pike through West Alexan- dria was built later and the office removed there in 1828, and this village was without a postoffice until February 19, 1889, when one was established under the name of Twin, the mail being carried by the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw railroad, but on May 14, 1906, the office was discontinued and its patrons served from West Alexandria, through the rural free delivery system established by the United States government some years prior.
Taverns were kept by John Hawkins and Nathaniel Benjamin. The Hawkins house was the first, but there are no public documents showing how long this inn was open to the public. Mr. Benjamin's hostelry was run by him for a number of years, as he served at least twelve years, while so engaged, as a justice of the peace, and went directly from the hotel to the farm on the hill east of Twin creek, in 1831.
There was a hattery in the village at one time, probably in the twenties, but the length of time it was in operation is not known. It was conducted by Mr. Foreman, father of "Aunt Polly" Bare, late widow of Elder Henry Bare, pioneer farmer of Twin township.
There is at present in the village one general store, one tobacco ware- house, one box factory, two blacksmith shops, one junk dealer, and one huckster, with a population of one hundred and twenty.
The township house and school buildings are treated elsewhere in this history.
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WEST ALEXANDRIA.
Located on the west bank of Twin creek, in the midst of the richest agricultural territory in Preble county, West Alexandria contains about eleven hundred inhabitants. Half of the town lies on the south side of the old Columbia (Dayton and Eaton) pike, in Lanier township, and half on the north side of the pike which forms the boundary line in Twin township. The town is said to be the wealthiest in the state, in proportion to its popu- lation. It has four substantial churches, one newspaper, two flourishing banks, steam and electric railroads, and the finest school building, with audi- torium, in the county, and many handsome residences. The town presents a neat, attractive and thrifty appearance, and evidences of prosperity are to be seen upon every hand. Whether viewed from an interurban or a steam car, one is impressed with the evident care and attention its people pay to the upkeep of property, public and private. The streets are wide and lined with magnificent shade trees, which partially conceal the houses, and are well kept. Its people, intelligent, moral and hospitable, take pride in their home and town, which is attested by the tastily-built residences and well- kept lawns.
West Alexandria was laid out in August, 1818. Forty lots comprised the original town plat, twenty on the Lanier side being laid out by William Alexander, for whom the town was named, and twenty on the Twin side by Henry Keisling, one of Twin township's earliest settlers, who never be- came extensively identified with the town, but Mr. Alexander, who did, has always been regarded as its founder and will be the subject of a brief sketch here.
He was born in Virginia in 1791, and in the spring of 1817, with his wife and one child, migrated to Ohio. Leaving his wife and one child with his brother at Hamilton, he came to the Twin valley, where Jacob Sorber, his brother-in-law, had moved a year previous, and purchased of Jacob Hill eighty acres, a part of which now constitutes the south side of town. The next spring he brought his little family from Hamilton. They found here, where West Alexandria now stands, a little clearing and four rude buildings of logs; a school house, the Union church, and two log cabins. One, the Coble cabin, stood on the northeast corner of Main and Dayton streets, known as the Davis corner, and the other stood on the present site of the Twin Valley Bank and was occupied by John Clapp as a dwelling and black- smith shop. These two families, squatters, soon after moved away, and
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Alexander moved into the Clapp cabin and, soon after, William Sherman took possession of the Coble domicile. The following autumn Alexander erected an addition twenty feet square, and in the spring following (1819) Valentine Mikesell moved from Nisbet's mill into the original Clapp cabin. From this humble beginning has grown the present beautiful hustling town of West Alexandria. Mr. Alexander, its founder, died April, 1837, but his widow continued to live here for many years afterwards, in all a period of nearly seventy years. Only two of the eight or nine children born to them survived her, Mrs. John Winter, of Springfield, Ohio, who died on Febru- ary 24th, 1915, and Perry Alexander, of Eaton.
INCORPORATION.
The town was incorporated by act of the Legislature March 14, 1836, and on the third Monday of April following, a municipal government was inaugurated by the election of a mayor and board of trustees. Charles Smith was elected to the mayoralty, and his successors in office were: Elias Herdman, 1838-39; Mahlon Karn, 1840, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 51, 54, 64; Josiah Davis, 1844; J. B. Watts, 1848-49; J. W. Templeton, 1850; Nathan- iel Benjamin, 1852, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 63, 67; Johnson McClean, 1861, 62, 72, 73, 74, 75, 92, 93; Moses Marquis, 1865; Nelson Donnellan, 1866; Michael Aker, 1868, 69, 70, 71, 78, 79, 82, 83; John Wolf, 1876-77; James Campbell, 1880-81, 86, 87, 88, 89; Nathan S. Hart, 1884-85; George Buck, Jr., 1890-91, Isaac Van Ausdal finishing his term. D. V. Wachtel, 1894-95; S. B. Smith, 1896, 97, 98, 99, 1900-01, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13; Philip A. Saylor, 1902 to January, 1905; H. M. Brewer, since January, 1914. The present village officials are: H. M. Brewer, mayor; Glen Davis, clerk; An- drew Rupp, treasurer ; C. B. Dye, marshal and street commissioner; Charles Rinck, S. M. Myers, Abner N. Clemmer, Samuel Fudge, John Block and John Snaveley, councilmen.
WATERWORKS.
The village, in 1897, installed one of the first waterworks systems in the state, at a cost of about seventeen thousand dollars; the supply being obtained from artesian wells in the southern part of the city, and pumped through the town to a stand-pipe located in the northern part, opposite the public school buildings. The wells are drilled to a depth of one hundred and thirty feet, affording not only an abundant supply, but an excellent
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quality, of water for culinary and drinking purposes, as it flows out from the wells, instead of being drawn from the stand-pipe. A substantial brick pump-house provided with two forty-five horsepower boilers and two pumps with a capacity of seven hundred and twenty-five thousand gallons each and a sixteen by forty foot standpipe, with bottom elevation of about eighty-five feet above the village proper, giving a domestic static pressure of forty- seven pounds, and a fire pressure of one hundred and twenty-five pounds.
A GALA DAY.
When the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw railroad was built to this town, in 1886, the people of Twin valley decided upon "Mackinaw Day," a day of celebration in honor of the event. A great cedar arch spanned the track at the Dayton street crossing, cannons awoke the denizens of the val- ley to the fact that the day of their deliverance was at hand, that the "iron horse" would bear their burdens, that a new era was about to begin, that no longer were they compelled to wagon to Dayton for their salt and to Cin- cinnati to deliver their produce, but that it would bring a market, and make possible the exchange of commodities at their very doors. All roads led to West Alexandria that memorable 9th of October, 1886, and a hearty wel- come was extended to all that came. The crowd was conservatively esti- mated at five thousand. Banners, bearing the word 'Welcome" and others bearing the picture of a locomotive, with the inscription "Progress," were visible everywhere. The public school campus was handsomely decorated, a huge platfrom for speakers, brass bands and drum corps had been erected; over six hundred feet of table groaned with the good things the ladies of the old Twin valley know so well how to cook, roast or bake, awaited the maw of a hungry public, and it was certainly satisfied.
ELECTRIC RAILROAD.
One June day in 1898 excitement, but of a more subdued nature, pre- vailed among the citizens, when cars, with no visible power, went skimming through the town and across the country, returning by the aid of the same agency. Thus was ushered in the "interurban" in West Alexandria, the "Dayton Western railway," and, today the town boasts of both steam and electric lines, the former a north and south and the latter an east and west road. Under its franchise it had to maintain its power plant here, so it purchased four and one-half acres of land of S. V. and J. E. Motter, in the
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eastern part of town, and erected a large brick power house and two large brick car barns. Since the line is operated by the Ohio Electric Railway Company, the high tension system has been substituted and the power house is used as a sub-station. The barns and shops are in full operation, and most of the operating force live here.
POSTOFFICE.
In the spring of 1828 the postoffice at New Lexington was removed to West Alexandria and Judge Nisbet, the postmaster, placed it in charge of a clerk. Mails were received but once a week, and the duties of the post- master could hardly be classed as strenuous. The office has since been served by the following postmasters: Elias Hardman, Squire Taylor, John H. Gale, John Bowers, Julia Holland, John Roselius, A. G. Albaugh, E. J. Henry. H. C. Glander, and the present incumbent, O. V. Fritz. From one mail in a week to six mails per diem, is the growth of the village postoffice in number of mails: but the number of pieces or pounds of mail matter transmitted through the office is proportionately much greater; there are four rural free delivery carriers wrestling with the tons of mail matter each month received at their office, and many departments have been added since its establishment.
NEWSPAPERS.
On April 15, 1886, Gale & Wilson made their bow to the public as publishers of a newspaper, which they christened the Twin Valley Times. After the death of Mr. Wilson this property passed into the hands of D. E. Stubbs, who was succeeded by the following owners and publishers: E. H. Graham, O. H. Smith, C. M. Hane, E. A. McKee, Lewis & Drury, Griswold & Drury, Todd & Bundy and H. A. Smith.
The Twin I'alley Echo, a second local newspaper, was started on March 33, 1898, by Snyder & Griswold, as proprietors, Mr. Snyder retiring in October. 1900. Mr. Griswold continued to conduct the paper until about June 1, 1902, when he sold to F. E. Vance, who published the sheet until March, 1906, when it again passed to a new owner, D. W. Calahan, who, in the spring of 1909, leased the same to Joe Murphy, but revoked the grant the following September. About a year later, C. W. McIntosh, the present publisher, bought the plant.
The West Alexandria Record, a newspaper owned and printed by Earl H. Irvin, publisher of the Eaton Democrat, was launched in January, 1905,
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under the management of Harry Eby, who, a year later, was succeeded by W. W. Crouse, who edited the same until its extinction, for political reasons, in June, 1910.
BANKS.
In the present age and, to some extent, in the past, banking institutions have constituted a most vital part in the business of the commercial world. Their influence and fortune are the financial barometers of the business world, even governments have, in a measure, been dependent upon them. Of this branch of business, Twin Valley Bank (S. S. Black & Company) has been a part since 1888, when this institution was organized by upwards of a dozen of the most prominent citizens of the town and vicinity, and today it ranks third in respect to resources, in the county.
A second bank, the Farmers & Citizens, was organized early in 1905, and, despite pessimism, has flourished, and has, today, fully as great re- sources as Twin Valley Bank had in 1905, which proves that healthy com- petition is the life of any business.
TAVERNS.
In the spring of 1819 Valentine Mikesell built a small frame tavern on the northwest corner of Main and Dayton streets, where Henry Lang in 1887-8 built the present building, and, shortly afterward, Mr. Alexander erected a larger one on the site of his dwelling, which passed into the hands of Dennis Kelly and burned on July 26, 1863, as the result of a public jollification over the capture of Morgan, the rebel raider. This was the most disastrous fire in the history of the town, the Huston block, adjoining, hav- ing been consumed.
The Mikesell tavern was successively owned by Michael Klinger, Sam- uel Fisher, Miller, Isaac Johnson, Fred Shafer, Henry Lang, Joseph En- dress and Henry Fadler. It has since passed into other hands and is used for other purposes.
The Twin Valley House was established by Jacob Winters in a frame dwelling, previously occupied by George Loy, and afterward conducted by Jacob Feary, Jacob Good, Hiram Burk, John Wysong. John Early, Johnson Brothers, E. P. Galbraith, Wolf Brothers, Feager Hefflinger, Wolf & John- son, Wolf & Company, David Wolf, John Weaver, W. H. Weaver, Segelke Bohlman and Herman Cordes.
The present owners of this property, T. G. Dininger and John Block,
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bought in August, 1905, since which time it was for a while occupied by the Ohio Electric Railway Company for freight and ticket offices, but for the past few years it has again been used as a hotel by Charles Houk and Elmer Koeller, under the euphonious name of the "Astor House."
PIONEER MERCHANTS.
George Gilbert kept a store in a one-story building owned by Jacob Sorber, located on the site of the residence of the late Dr. O. E. Tillson, and some say he was preceded at the same place by Mr. Wearshoff. Mr. Gilbert subsequently moved to Dayton and was succeeded by George Taylor.
Henry Hathaway soon afterward erected a building on the northeast corner of Main and Dayton streets. He did a flourishing business and was also engaged in pork packing, but failed.
In 1838 Josiah Davis entered into the grocery business on this corner. Some fifteen years earlier Frederick Zitzer, father of the late John Zitzer, opened a cabinet shop here and was succeeded by his son and he by his son.
Nathaniel L. Derby was one of the pioneer merchants of this town and was succeeded by John G. Gale, in 1847, who was succeeded in turn by Baker, Smith & Company, Smith & Swank, Smith & Unger, Unger & Derby, Unger & Gale, Unger & Glander, Glander & Herlman, and Glander.
In 1850 the late Johnson McLean succeeded Jerome Waters in the harness and saddlery business.
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